Lock nut



ct" 26 'R T.' HosKnNG 2,4,92

LOCK NUT Filed May l0, 1944 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 STATESl PATENT loFFicE LOCK NUT Richard T, Hosking, chicago, nl. Application May 10, 1944, Serial No. 534,884

2 Claims. (c1. 1514-21) .-'1 My invention -relates to an improvement in lock l nuts and has for one purpose to provide a lock nut whi-ch, whe n screwed down on .a bolt, or similarelement, will hold iirmly and will not become unintentionally loosened;

- Another purpose is to provide a lock nut which vincludes tool elements effective to change the lcontour of th-e bolt .threads which .they engage, inorder to lock the nut inr place by the displacement -of some uof the bolt threads in relation to -`othr bolt threads, the nut being in simultaneous engagement with both the original bolt threads andthe changed or distorted bolt threads.

11 'Anotherfpurpose is to provide ,a lock nut which -constitutes a tool or roll-ing means for distorting o'r varying the thread contour of part of the bolt threads engaged bythe nut. 1 Another purpose is to provide a lock nut which maintains itself in .accurate alignment with the axis of the bolt to which it is applied.

Another purpose -is to provide an improved method of forming lock nuts.

Another purpose is to provide a lock nut having an integral, resilient locking portion.

Other purposes will appear from time to time inthe course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate the yinvention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, Where- Fi'gure 1 is a view, with parts in axial section,

illustrating :a bolt carrying a nut formed without *the use of my invention; `Figure 2 is -a similar view illustrating the eiect of my lock nut on the thread of =a bolt;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a nut made in accordance with my invention; Figure-4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

E'de'io'rrhing the bolt.

Like partsv are indicated by like symbols throughout thel specicaton and drawings.,

Referring to the drawings I generally nidicates any suit-able bolt, having a head 2. `3 indicates ythe'tlfn'ead of the bolt.

Y vWith reference particularly to Figure 1, 4 indicat'esy any suitable nut body having a relatively resilient extension 5, of reduced outside diam- 'Jetenp There is no modiiication of .the threads v2 6 of the nut, as my invention is not illustrated in Figure 1. v

Referring to the nut shown in Figures 2 `to 5, the nut bodydmay be of the usual hexagonal form. The locking extension 5 is shown las having a generally cylindrical exterior 5a. The material of which the nu-t is made is such that the relatively thin walled locking portion 5, and its thread, has s-ome measure of resilience.

Referring .to the detailed showing oi'Figures 3, 4 and 5, I direct an inward thrust against three p-oints spaced -about the exterior of the locking portion 5, which causes the formationof three circumferentially spaced exterior indentations 1.y These may be made, for example, by thrusting any suitable tool or tools,v having inclined converging faces, downwardly against-the outer surface 5a of the por-tion 5 of the nut. Each resulting |indentation causes an inw-ard displacement of a part of the member 5. Thisin turn displaces part of the thread inwardly through an arc indicated at 8 in Figure 5. As a-result, parts of the normal thread 6 are moved inwardly t-oward the axis of .the nut as at 6a, 6b, 6c', 6d, 6e and Bf. At :the same time these particular inwardly distorted areas are moved somewhat downwardly toward the opposite end of the`nut. Each of these small downward and inward pro- .iections constitutes a tool. Each such tool is'separated from .the adjacent tools by an undistorted part of. the locking portion 5 of the nut, and of thethreads of the nut, of substantial arcuate extent. While I might space 4these tool elements in a variety of ways, :and vary their number, I iind it advantageous to distort the nut at three uniformly spaced areas, as shown in `lfigurei 3. Three sets :oftools are .thus formed, uniformly spaced about theaxis of the nut. That is to say, in the form of the device las shown `in rFigures 2 to 6, six separate tools, 6a to v6J inclusive, are arranged, two in Veach Aof `three positions about the axis of the nut.

AWhen the nut is screwed down about a bolt .or any equivalent threaded member, the undis- .torted threads of the nut body 4 cooperate .with the bolt threads in the usual manner. But when the locking portion 5 of the nut reaches the end of the bolt, the tools 6a to Ef inclusive are-effestive to distort the thread, as they pa-ss over it,`

to produce a deformation or change in contour which is illustrated at 3a in Figure 2. This causes `an endwise thrust of the nut against the-undistorted threads of the bolt. This distort-ion produces a clamping .action of vthe undistorted nut threads against the bottoms of the lower threads vtoftheaxis of the bolt.V

,'diagrammatic, rather th V"pre'cisels'howing..

follows:

of that part of 'the bolt which is surrounded by the nut body 4. Thus, the tops of the lower threads of the nut, using the term lower to ymean the `'advancing end of the nut, are drawn up against the bottom surfaces of the bolt threads to which they are opposed. The deforming tools 6a to 6i .actually distort Tthe bolt threads which they contact, and create a leverage which tends t Dullthe. nlliupwardly alQne. the belt- This distortingac-tionrisiflimited .toa Esiti-alli number -Df ,turns .at'the top of the'nut, and consequently most of the bolt threads engaged by the nut are not deformed.

t-ool positions, has been distortedhor deformed tool at each position, but it is not disadvantageous, in use, and is easier in manufacture, to provide an external indentation 'l or 'la of such length that two or more of such tools are formed at each position since the indentation overlaps two or more turns of the thread. The main tool, however, is the top tool 6b, which extends most deeply into the bolt receiving aperture.

The provision of three tools or tool areas Vspaced about the nut provides a `ith-ree-point con- *tact betweenthe nut and the Athreads y'of the bolt which is effective to align the axis of the nut with the axis of the bolt. This maintains the bottom .Since -the thread of the nut, at each one ofthe ,toward the undistorted end of the-nut, there isr` a bodily oiisetting of ythe distorted thread, which may extend from root to crest, particularly in the upper three tools, but which is most marked Aat I -the crest. Therefore, the crest of the distorted or .toolzportionof the nutthreads, :at any one of ,the position-s 6a to Bf, when the nut is tightened .up on za rbolt, @correspondingly -distorts the ,boltthread to which itis opposed. :This vdistortion of A,the bolt-thread from its original form cramps the lxnetal'iof.the bolt x.threads agains-tthe metal or" withthezaxisgof thebolt andinsures that when 35 ...thefnutds drawn down against a surface through `-vvhi'chithe :bolt passes, or from-'which the bolt yextends;fthebottomof thenutiis precisely parallel Withfthe surface, if suchsurface is,` perpendicular `awardxthiust of the inclinediaces :orv converging f' :tools used to form the -nut shown inFigure K5. .Ifndj-.hat canobtain arsubstantial-locking .ieiect withoutsubstantial .distortation of .the bolt threads, by :increasing the yarcuate extension of lthefdistorted :portionsof the hut., This is .done

.asimplybyfemployingwiderztools than those which fare :employed `to make the relatively :narrow Vde- `,pressions shownatlin Figure; i, c

. `It will be realized thatrwhereasl4 have described AandLclainied alipractical and operative 'device .anda

kmethod',.r'ievertheless many changes .may be. made without departing from the spirit ofimyiinvent; tion. .I :thereforenwish'my ydescription anddrawvingsitobe takensasin :abroad sensezillustrativer or an Las limiting :me pto'. my*

The useffand operationzof my invention are las Thenut Iernploy includes the usual 'body 4, of substantial-radial thickness, and the' integral, thin and relatively resilient locking .portion .5. Theialoove described tool forming vdistortation -creates`,'in'theresilient` portion 5, a pluralityof :.circmnferentially :spaced `rolling tools k6a,V 15b. It awill .be zunderste'odsthat vI may provide a single ILA() `zareas in vthai-part of the nutwhichfisfradlally thinprovides a resilientlockingfaction. .The thin portion 5is thin enough to .be definitely resilient. The portions of` Ithe threads extending between the individual tool elements alsovzhave alcertain resilience. Where the arcuataextensionof the kindentations :l orfla, is .largely increased;and y.the

i;i-nteryening undistorted thread .fis vkreduced -n .1ar-

Acuate4 length, the thread mayhotbefeffectiveto act as .a toch, to r.roll the :threadv ofv v the bolt, but jthe distortion willvv still beV effective -to fmaintain avresilient locking `eiiect ywhich prevents `uniti-- tended loosening of the nut. And thevnut alignment, for three point support, is still maintained. =Inv forming the llocl; nutsfmade in accordance withfniy invention, I find Vitadvantageous l.togprovide the nut body i vwyitl'l -the relativelyicsi-lient relatively thin walled locking extension v5. I thread the nut, providingit -withza threadof :uniform and continuous pitchthroughoutthe length of -tl'ienut and Aitsvk-locking. extension 5.4 Thereafter I modify or distortthemortionlzbythrust- V.ing it inwardly at preferably, vthree circumferentially spaced punite,L I inayfform .the Inut -as shown in Eiguie's 3 gto by-moving downwardly against :the exterior; of ithe lvportion/5La -toolor rtools Ahaving upwardly souveraine inner surfaes.. the .individual.tool-elements beings() spaced about the axis of the nut that the three converging meni- ,be'rs vrforce Athe metal of, A,the `portion r5 inwardly to form-.the.depre`ssions J. ;4 It may :be .advantageous to have the nut body l seryeas -a stop for ending .thedownwardf'orming rnovementvof the tools, or their forming-,movement ymay. be 4other-wise lim- .CL i j To form the nutofj-FigureG-Ifniayernploy threetools, which are. moved preferablylinlines or planes radial to; `the :axis VITof A the nut. ',{I'he ,threettools i are :moved in. unison :inwardly against the surface of the portion 5 of the nut. ,v 1 v u m1,@ festin? pfxethfm; 0f. the abOYe LWO :p0rtions is to formthethread.rollingtools ,Bd,f.6b. I claim: K .1. Incombinationh with a fthreadedwbolt, a -nut threaded thereon, having a relatively thin-walled extension extending from ,the `body.thereolip'arallel withthe .axis of .and linteriorly threaded rto engage'the bolt, a plurality of Iangularly.spaced indentations in the outer wall ,of the extension, increasing indepth axially from their' initial ,point adjacent the body of thenuttoward their vgreatest'depth-at the outerend of .the extension,` the rthreads' on fthe 'interior or thev yextension .being inwardlyv displaced in radial alignment .with each indentation, a 'distance "substantially equal 'to point adjacent the body of the nut toward their 1 greatest depth at the outer end of the extension,

the threads on the interior of the extension being inwardly displaced in radial alignment with each indentation, a distance substantially equal to the radial depth of the corresponding part of the indentation, the inwardly displaced parts of the threads being downwardly distorted toward the body of the nut, the degree of downward distortion increasing in proportion with increase of the depth of the indentation.

RICHARD T. HOSKING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 .Number Name Date 2,314,780 Gade Mar. 23, 1943 2,352,668 Tripp July 4, 1944 2,355,253 Whiteld Aug. 8, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 15 Number Country Date 215,727 Switzerland Oct. 1, 1941 

